March 31st: Peter’s Declaration

By Ryan Nunez

Scripture:

Luke 9:20

Then he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!”

Observation

Jesus is spending some quiet time away from the crowds with his disciples. Jesus poses the question, “who do people say that I am?” The answers varied from John the Baptist raised from the dead to one of the other former prophets such as Elijah. Jesus then gets specific and asks their opinion. Peter responds with the correct answer…the Messiah. It seems like a breakthrough. They finally get it, but we will soon find that there are many struggles ahead for the disciples.

Application

Just because I know that something is true, doesn’t mean that I don’t struggle when it comes to applying it. Peter knows who Jesus is and what his mission is about, but when push comes to shove several chapters later we find Peter doubting Jesus and denying that he even knew him. This is a very human trait. It is easy to believe when things are good and going as expected, but our faith is put to the test during trials.

Prayer

God help me to remember your promises as clearly in the dark times as I do in the light.

March 29th: Is anyone listening?

Posted by Jeremiah Hann

Scripture:

The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him. Luke 8: 38-39

Observations:

This man has “for a long time” (vs. 27) been possessed by demons. When he encounters Jesus, he is freed. When he is freed of the demons, he wants to follow Jesus everywhere. I can totally understand, because watching something amazing like that would get me so pumped to follow Christ. However, when this man tries to follow Jesus around, Jesus tells him no. Jesus instead, asks him to go share what has happened with all his family. So the man shares it with anyone who would listen.

Application:

When I am able to see God’s power in my life, or the life of someone close to me, I get so excited to follow him. But when we experience the power of Christ in our lives, we should be telling others about it. Take the excitement to follow Jesus and watch these miracles, and put it into action. When I tell others about the awesome things Christ has done, it gets me even more excited. God is always working in my life, and I need to tell others about it, instead of just getting excited and doing nothing about it.

Prayer:

Lord, Thank you for always taking care of me. You are always working in my life, and you do so many awesome things each day. Help me to boldly share those things with everyone I encounter. Thank you for always reminding me that you are faithful and in control of everything. In Jesus name, Amen.

March 28: This little light of mine…

By: Brent Hodges

Scripture

“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed.  A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.”  Luke 8:16

Observation

The disciples ask Jesus for clarification of the parable he has just shared regarding the farmer and the seed.  He explains the meaning of the different surfaces the seed falls on, then he adds the comment above.

Application

Light from its very creation was meant to be shared.  Think about it…there isn’t a source of light that is not going to be shared, whether we want it to be or not.  We’ve even tried to make lights that cannot be shared…pen lights, book lights, overhead lights in airplanes, etc….but in all those cases, the light is seen and shared by whomever see it.  Shouldn’t that by a parallel to my life with Christ?  My light should shine no matter where I’m at, who I’m with, or what the circumstances may be. 

Prayer

Lord, may the light you have lit in me be visible to everyone I come in contact with today.  May I always place you on the lamp stand of my life for all to see.

March 27: Are you stupid?

posted by: Darius Sanders

Scripture
Proverbs 12:1
To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.

Observation
In order to learn anything in life, you must be willing to discipline yourself or receive discipline from others.  In fact, this passage says that we need to love discipline in order to learn.  Discipline is a means of correcting an action or behavior.  According to this verse, hating correction is considered unwise or stupid.

Application
Biblically, I tend to be stupid at times.  I never really like it when people tell me that I’m doing something wrong in life that I think I’m doing just fine.  At times, I tend to let my pride get in the way and I get defensive when people correct me.  It isn’t until I realize that the people correcting me are doing it out of love and not spite that I really began to warm up to this whole correction thing. 

One such example is when my daughter, Torianna, was first born.  I remember being in the hospital when she was born and holding that bundle of joy in my arms.  It was truly a Kodak moment…until she vomited all over me.  I didn’t know what to do so I did what I’ve seen a lot of people do to comfort babies, I started rocking her.  At that moment one of the nurses saw me rocking her and strictly scolded me saying that whenever I hold the baby I need to be still or I will upset her body. 

Now, I already didn’t like this nurse very much so when she said this I was livid.  I was thinking, “Who do you think you are?  This is my baby girl.  I know what I’m doing!”  But in actuality, I didn’t know what I was doing.  I had been a father for less than 24 hours and this lady had been dealing with babies for 20+ years.  She was obviously the expert and I was the novice.  I had to swallow my pride and heed her advice as she was simply looking out for the best interest of Torianna. 

In life, in order to learn how to care for my baby girl takes discipline.  I learn new things about her daily that help me to be a better father.  When my wife Nicole tells me that I’m doing something wrong in attempting to care for her, I simply heed the words of her correction and make the necessary changes…because both earthly and biblically I would be stupid not to heed correction from my wife.  

Prayer
God, thanks for pointing out my stupidity at times in not listening to others that correct me out of love.  I pray that I would always listen to your voice through reading your Word and correct the actions in my life that You would like to see me change. 

March 26th: Compassion is an action

By Daniel Conner

Scripture:

Luke 7:12-14 “A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “young man, ” he said, ” I tell you, get up.” The the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.”

Observation:

The passage says that Jesus saw the mother hurting, had compassion for her and healed the young man. Compassion stirred Jesus to action. Jesus saw the need, he saw the mother hurting, his heart was moved in such a way that he had to do something about the situation, and that emotion propelled him to action.

Application:

Throughout scripture, God teaches us that compassion is not just a warm fuzzy that we get in our hearts, or a weird feeling that we might have because of something we ate the night before. Rather, compassion is followed by an action. If my heart is filled with compassion after the Lord brings something to my attention and yet I do nothing about it, what good is it? Compassion is defined as a deep feeling that stirs us to want to do something to better the situation. Compassion was at the core of Jesus, that’s why he died for us, so today, how will I show compassion to those who are hurting around me? Compassion moves us to action, otherwise it’s just an observation.

Prayer:

Father, thank you that your compassion for me, moved you to action, to die for all on a cross. May my heart be filled with compassion for others, and knowing that your compassion involved sacrifice, help me to remember that compassion is followed by an action.

March 24th: Apostles, Disciples, Followers, & Crowds

by Paul Lewis

Scripture: Luke 6:13 & 17a

At daybreak he (Jesus) called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles.

When they came down from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large, level area, surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds.

Observation:

Jesus preceded this passage by going away by himself to pray all night. He then selected twelve of his disciples to be his apostles. In this passage we see a distinction between apostles, disciples, followers, and the crowds of people.

Application:

Jesus understood the different groups of people who followed him. Even within the apostles, we will later learn that there was an inner three, an even smaller group. Jesus could only pour into so many people, yet didn’t refuse to let others who were not as close follow him.

I believe the different groups represent closesness and commitment to Jesus. The crowds were those in the area who just wanted to see what was happening. The followers were those who wanted to watch Jesus at work and to hear what he had to say. The disciples were those who wanted to apply the teachings of Jesus to their lives and become more like him.

The apostles had a more intimate relationship than the disciples. He spoke more clearly and openly with them. They were his friends. He spent more time with the apostles. As Paul wrote that he was “untimely born” but Jesus chose him, just as he chose the others.

While we can’t be apostles, we can go beyond the crowds, and followers, to become disciples. Jesus said, “Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.” John 12:26

So, to be a disciple of Jesus we need to not only follow him, but serve him as well. If you do a simple study of Jesus’ discples, you will also see that they served others in his name. So, for us today, we need to serve Jesus by serving others.

Are you in the crowd, a follower, or a disciple of Jesus?

Prayer:

Jesus, help me to follow you more closely every day. Help me to serve you, and others in your name. I want to be your disciple! Amen

March 21st: Come Follow Me.

By Daniel Conner

Scripture:

Luke 5:5-6;10-11

“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat , and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Observation:

Jesus invites these guys who have been trying to do things their own way, and it was obvious that they where not being successful, and it was bringing much frustration, and disappointment. I find it interesting that Jesus invites them to do things a different way, His way, and in all honesty it probably didn’t make a lot of since to these guys. They had been fishing all night, and not only that, but these guys had been doing this for sometime, and they had learned it from their fathers, so they knew how to fish. But all of the sudden Jesus comes along and says to do it a little different, and not only did they get fish, but they also had to bring another boat out from some of their friends as well! These guys where so amazed by everything, that as soon as Jesus said, “follow me,” they did, verse 11 says “And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.”

Application:

When we try to do things in our own life on our own, when we try to do it our way, we will be unsuccessful, and it will bring frustration, disappointment, and heartbreak because it will never be enough. Jesus shows us that when we do things His way, when we obey Him, our lives will be different! I love what these guys did as soon as Jesus said to follow Him, it says that they left everything! Everything. Can I even comprehend that. They left everything. Their homes, their business that dad was going to be passing off to them, their parents, other friends, this town that they had grown up in, they left everything to follow this “Rabi” that they had heard about, but didn’t really know too much about. But they went, they followed. What an act of obedience! And because of their obedience to Jesus, He used them to impact so many people, and to change share the message of God’s love, and that changed the world. All because they chose to obey. As I think about my own life, I’m forced to ask myself, am I obeying what the Lord has called me to do? Is he calling me to do something that doesn’t make since to me, but He has a plan in store to impact others, if I could just surrender to him. I’m forced to ask the question, “What is the Lord asking me to do?”

Prayer:

Father, thank you for loving me, and for caring so much for me that you loved me enough to die for me. Help me be aware of when you are calling me to do something, and may I be obedient to follow where you are leading, it may not make since, but may I trust you and know that you are God, and I am not.

March 20th: How Much Do You Remember?

Posted by: Jeremiah Hann

Scripture:

When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.  Luke 4:13

Observation:

Jesus was very tired and very hungry from being without food for 40 days in the desert.  The devil tries to get him to sin because he knows this is a time where Jesus is vulnerable.  But Jesus never gives in to the devil.  The devil then  gives up, for now.  He left because he realized Jesus was too strong to give in to the temptation, so he left until the next time where he would have the opportunity to tempt him.  Each time the temptation came, Jesus was able to quote scripture in reference to the situation.

Application:

The Devil knows when we are at our weakest.  He knows when we are the most vulnerable to sin.  It is at those times where he will come at you.  But just like Jesus knew the Word so well, I should constantly be reading and memorizing scripture so that when temptation comes my way, I will remember the scripture and not sin.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to continue to hunger for Your Word.  Help me to remember sScripture so that when temptation comes my way, I am able to not sin.  Help me to be more like Jesus every day.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

March 19th: Bulls, rams, & lambs…O my!

By: Brent Hodges

 Scripture

Numbers 29:1 - 40

Observation

Gracious sakes!  I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the tabernacle was a bloody mess by the end of the month.  Can you imagine the role of the priest?  Take a look at verse 39, “in addition to”!  These were on top of the other offerings and sacrifices they were required to make.  O my!

Application

When I stop and reflect…how many bulls, rams, and lambs would it take to purify my sins?  How often would I need to trek to the tabernacle with goat in tow to offer a sin offering?  Thankfully, one lamb was all it took for me…the Lamb of God…Jesus.  Christ didn’t play the role of the priest…he played the role of the lamb…he became a bloody mess…for you and for me!  My application…gratitude…eternal gratitude!  Thank you Jesus for loving me so much!

Prayer

Lord, I can’t say thank you enough to satisfy the sacrifice you became on my behalf.  But again I say thank you!  May I honor your sacrifice in the way I live my life today.

March 18: Do I care about people as much as Moses does?

posted by: Darius Sanders

Scripture
Numbers 27:15-17
Then Moses said to the Lord, “O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures.  Please appoint a new man as leader for the community.  Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

Observation
Moses says this to God once God reveals to him that he is going to die soon.  His first response to finding out that he would no longer be the leader of the Israelites was to ensure that God would place another leader in his place that really cared about the people.  This is actually surprising because it shows that more than anything, Moses really cares about the Israelites.  After all they put him through…grumbling about water…complaining about food…telling him they were better off in Egypt…leading others in opposition to him…contemplating choosing another leader…even threatening to kill him…Moses still cared about these people.

Application
I like to place myself in Bible characters’ shoes and think about how my response would be in different situations.  If I were Moses and God just revealed to me that I would no longer be the leader of the Israelites…after all the Israelites put me through…the next verse in the bible would say, “Darius praised God like never before!  He died with a huge smile on his face realizing that some other sucker would now be in charge of leading those cantankerous Israelites for the rest of their life.”  I would have been so excited to leave that position of leadership that the last thought on my mind would have been making sure that a new leader was in place.  Moses once again revealed to me a leadership trait that I need to be cognizant of: Great leaders care more about their successor and their people than themselves.

Prayer
God, thank You for the leadership lessons You’ve taught me through Moses.  I pray that if you ever choose to remove me as leader of the Student Ministries at Palm Valley Church, You would replace me with a leader that truly cares about students as much as I do.